Pufferfish Adaptations and Predation

At the beginning of the text, what does the fish do when the shark approaches?

• It puffs out into a round, spiny ball.

• It swims away, startled.

• It swims slowly, searching for a meal.

• It attacks the shark with its spines.

What does the author describe in this text?

• why different kinds of sharks have different adaptations

• the different predators that are likely to hunt porcupines

• what happens when a predator eats a spiny pufferfish

• how a pufferfish puffs up into a round spiny ball

Based on this evidence, why might a pufferfish puff itself up?

• to try and convince a predator that the pufferfish is a toad or a snake

• to be able to hunt, catch, and eat other fish more easily

• to prepare itself to fight off a predator's attack

• to make the pufferfish appear difficult to catch and eat

Why might the author have included the images of the flounder and the porcupine?

• to force the reader to decide which animal looks more like the pufferfish

• to show the reader examples of different animals with adaptations that protect them from predators

• to suggest that the flounder and the porcupine would probably be better than a pufferfish at fighting off predators

• to prove that animals that live on land and animals that live in the ocean are very different from each other

What is the main idea of this text?

• The ocean can be a dangerous place for small fish like the pufferfish because its waters are full of predators.

• Predators like sharks have adaptations that help them hunt other animals.

• Many animals have sharp spines, including porcupines, hedgehogs, sea urchins, and pufferfish.

• Adaptations like sharp spines and puffing up help keep pufferfish safe from predators.

Why might the author have compared the pufferfish to a balloon with this simile?

• to hint to the reader that balloons also swell up when they are threatened

• to imply that balloons also look like normal fish when they are not blown up

• to help the reader understand what a pufferfish looks like as it swells up

• to suggest that pufferfish and balloons are similar in lots of ways

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. Predators have adaptations that help them hunt. _________, a shark's powerful, torpedo-shaped tailfin and sharp teeth are two adaptations.

• However

• For example

• As a result

• At first

What is an adaptation?

What is the purpose of a pufferfish's spines? Support your answer with evidence from the text.